3ininot0 


MADE  BY  THE 

DEPARTMENT  OF  CHURCH  AND  COUNTRY  LIFE 

OF  THE 

BOARD  OF  HOME  MISSIONS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
IN  THE  U.  S.  A. 

Rev.  Wanen  H.  Wilson,  Ph.D.,  Superintendent 
Miss  Anna  B.  Taft,  Assistant 

\  56  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


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Return  this  book  on  or  before  the 
Latest  Date  stamped,  below.  A 
charge  is  made  on  all  overdue 
books. 

University  of  Illinois  Library 


JUL  14195- 


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L161  — 1141 


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^  9^ural  giurtie^  in 
3ninoi0 


MADE  BY  THE 

DEPARTMENT  OF  CHURCH  AND  COUNTRY  LIFE 

OF  THE 

BOARD  OF  HOME  MISSIONS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
IN  THE  U.  S.  A. 

Rev.  Warren  H.  Wilson,  Ph.D.,  Superintendent 
Miss  Anna  B.  Taft,  Assistant 

1  56  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 

The  Field  Work  in  this  investigation  was  done  by  Rev.  Clair  S.  Adams 


CF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


DEMOTE  STORAGE 


An  3IUtn0t0  ^uru^y 


Dr.  Henry  Wallace,  editor  of  Wallace's  Farmer,  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  rural  churches  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  appealing 
for  the  facts  brought  out  in  a  survey  of  rural  religious  conditions,  adds 
this  word:  "We  do  not  know  what  this  survey  will  reveal,  but  we  suspect 
that  it  will  show  that  from  30  to  50  per  cent,  of  the  families  living  within 
the  bounds  of  our  country  congregations  are  churchless,  and  could  well 
say,  'No  man  careth  for  my  soul.'" 

The    accompanying    survey   of   forty-four    communities    within    the 

bounds  of  Bloomington  and  Springfield  Presbyteries,  Synod  of  Illinois 

(the  eastern  central  part  of  the  State),  is  an  effort  to  get  at  these  facts 

which  are  essential  to  any  knowledge  of  the  field  and  necessary  to  any 

solution  of  the  problems  of  the  rural  church. 

_j        This  investigation  was  carried  on  under  the  direction  of  the  Depart- 

5    ment  of  Church  and  Country  Life  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home 

^    Missions,  but  was  interdenominational  in  interest,  no  more  information 

being  secured  from  a  Presbyterian  Church  than  from  any  other.     The 

-3  results  are  published  for  all  churches  interested  in  the  rural  church 

^   problem. 

C        Three  months  were  spent  in  this  work.     A  leave  of  absence  was 
ni    granted  by  the  session  of  the  Bement  Church  to  the  pastor,  for  that 
period,  on  request  of  the  Home  Board.     Every  effort  was  made  in 
counsel  \viih  leading  farmers,  merchants,  bankers,  teachers  and  ministers, 
that  we  might  have  a  concensus  of  opinion  as  nearly  accurate  as  possible. 
During  this  three  months'  survey  thirty-two  addresses  were  given,  ten 
^  sermons  preached  and  thirty-two  conferences  held.     All  the  ministers 
o^;iOf  all  the  churches  in  the  communities  visited  were  personally  interviewed 
X  regarding    their    own    church    statistics    (including    Roman    Catholic), 
r  Where  there  were  no  ministers  the  leading  officers  were  interviewed. 
V  The  investigator  was  helped  by  the  most  hearty  cooperation  on  the  part 
\  of  all  the  churches  and  by  hundreds  of  laymen,  when  they  understood 
-  the  purpose  of  our  survey.     No  effort  was  spared  to  obtain  in  every  pos- 
sible way  the  most  accurate  information  obtainable  from  all  sources. 
^      This  survey  does  not  take  the  place  of  a  parish  survey,  which  ministers 
are  urged  to  make  of  their  own  fields,  but  it  does  give  some  facts  which 
^  surely  show  the  need  of  such  work,  and  the  knowledge  of  such  facts 
^^  secured  in  such  a  thoroughgoing  way  will  do  much  to  help  in  solving  our 
'^   rural  problems,  for  there  has  been  altogether  too  much  guesswork  and 
theory  thus  far  regarding  the  rural-church  problem.     Of  course,  a  longer 

3 


92440 


time  spent  in  each  community  would  have  given  more  detailed  facts,  but 
the  facts  that  follow  are  sufficient  to  show  the  conditions  representative 
of  many  communities  in  Illinois  and  neighboring  States.  The  work  was 
a  pleasure,  because  so  many  interesting  facts  were  brought  out  by  the 
questions,  and  so  many  people  were  intensely  interested  and  helpful  in 
the  work. 

This  survey  covers  four  general  topics:  First,  economic;  second,  socio- 
logical; third,  educational;  fourth,  religious.  These  communities  are 
fairly  representative  of  our  Illinois  towns  and  rural  districts,  ranging  in 
size  from  distinctively  rural  fields  to  towns  of  3,000  population.  Thir- 
teen counties  are  represented  in  this  survey,  as  follows  (figures  in  paren- 
theses give  number  of  communities  surveyed  in  each  county) :  Iroquois 
(4),  Vermilion  (8),  Ford  (4),  Champaign  (7),  McLean  (5),  Piatt  (2), 
Macon  (2),  Sangamon  (5),  Menard  (3),  Cass,  Morgan,  Woodford  and 
Scott,  1  each. 

ECONOMIC 

The  average  area  of  each  community  surveyed  is  54  square  miles. 
Our  farm  land  in  central  Illinois,  in  the  '  corn  belt "  of  the  world,  is  for  the 
most  part  a  rich  black  loam.  It  is  level  prairie  except  for  a  little  way 
along  the  streams,  where  there  is  some  rough  land  given  over  to  forests 
and  pastures.  In  only  twelve  of  the  communities  is  coal  mined,  either 
privately  or  by  companies.  The  chief  products  of  this  region  are  corn, 
oats,  hay  and  wheat,  in  the  order  given.  The  average  corn  crop  for  last 
year  was  forty  bushels  per  acre,  or  a  little  above  the  average  for  the  State. 
There  are  evidences  of  prosperity  on  every  hand,  in  increasing  rents  and 
doubling  of  land  in  price  in  ten  years.  One  hundred  and  ninety  dollars 
per  acre  is  the  average  price  now,  and  it  is  rapidly  increasing.  In  some 
communities  coal  rights  are  being  sold  for  $100  per  acre.  The  average 
size  of  farms  is  143  acres,  about  the  average  for  the  entire  United  States. 
The  smallest  farms  are  of  40  acres  and  the  largest  600  acres.  In  one-half 
the  communities  the  tendency  for  the  last  ten  years  has  been  to  enlarge 
the  farms,  while  in  about  one-fifth  of  the  communities  the  tendency 
seems  to  be  to  break  up  the  farms  into  smaller  ones.  The  very  best  of 
machinery  is  used  on  the  farms,  and  the  most  modern,  but  in  20  per  cent, 
of  the  communities  it  is  poorly  cared  for. 

There  is  no  more  than  the  beginning  of  improved  scientific  farming  in 
this  region.  The  rotation  of  crops  has  almost  wholly  developed  in  the 
last  decade;  72  per  cent,  of  the  farmers  now  rotate  their  crops.  Sixty- 
three  per  cent,  of  the  communities  report  a  loss  in  fertility  of  the  soil,  all 
the  way  from  10  per  cent,  to  "rapidly  going  down."  Only  23  per  cent, 
of  the  places  report  an  increase  in  production,  due  in  large  measure  to 
drainage,  better  cultivation  and  choice  seed. 

4 


THE  PEOPLE 

WHO  LIVE 
ON  THE  FARMS 


OWNERS 


TENANTS 


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Ok 


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lie-*  Square  NiJes 
In  Illinois . 


Not  so  much  stock  is  fed  on  the  farms  as  formerly;  80  per  cent,  of  the 
communities  are  now  devoted  to  grain  farming.     This  change  in  farming 
activities  is  affecting  the  fertility  of  the  soil.     Wheat  is  raised  more  than 
formerly  it  was,  as  a  part  of  crop  rotation. 
The  Renters  and  Hands 

The  greatest  change  in  this  region  is  in  the  status  of  the  men  who  run 
the  farms.  Only  a  few  years  ago  this  region  was  entirely  farmed  by  the 
owners  themselves,  but  within  the  past  few  years  many  of  the  owners 
have  moved  to  the  cities  and  towns  or  sold  their  farms  to  speculators 
and  large  land  owners,  until  now  53  per  cent,  of  the  farms  are  run  by 
tenants,  and  only  47  per  cent,  by  the  owners  themselves.  About  two- 
thirds  of  these  tenants,  however,  we  might  call  long-time  tenants,  as  they 
remain  on  one  farm  for  several  years,  though  with  only  one-year  leases. 
The  wage  of  farm  hands  is  about  $27  per  month.  Two-thirds  of  farm 
laborers  have  good  prospects,  and  many  become  land  owners,  buying 
land  where  it  is  cheaper.  Within  the  past  year  or  two  there  has  been 
quite  an  exodus  of  farmers  and  tenants  back  to  Indiana  and  Ohio,  where 
cheaper  land,  partly  worn  out,  offers  better  inducements.  In  some  com- 
munities there  is  a  scarcity  of  farm  labor.  Many  of  the  young  men 
prefer  to  work  in  the  factories  which  are  springing  up  in  our  middle 
Western  cities  and  towns.  During  the  corn  harvesting  many  laborers 
come  up  from  the  southern  part  of  the  State  and  Kentucky  to  work. 
There  is  a  great  scarcity  of  women  to  work  in  the  homes.  This  fact  has 
driven  some  farmers  into  the  towns,  where  there  is  not  such  severe  work 
for  the  women.  On  the  other  hand,  many  women  on  the  farms  work 
from  early  morning  till  night,  doing  the  work  in  the  house,  and  then 
working  in  the  fields. 

Summing  up,  then,  our  agricultural  conditions,  farms  are  increasing  in 
size,  price  and  per  cent,  of  tenant  farmers,  and  decreasing  in  fertility, 
owing  to  soil  mining  and  wasteful  methods  of  husbandry. 

SOCIOLOGICAL 

The  population  of  these  commimities  is  about  evenly  divided  between 
the  towns  and  villages  and  the  distinctively  rural  districts.  The  last 
census  reveals  the  fact  that  some  of  these  counties  have  lost  in  population 
in  the  last  ten  years.  There  are  42  persons  to  the  square  mile,  or  twenty- 
one  in  the  rural  parts  alone.  In  eight  communities  there  is  an  increase 
in  population,  due  to  the  opening  up  of  coal  mines,  growth  of  manufac- 
tories, draining  of  the  land,  and  consequent  increase  of  farms.  In  eight 
communities  there  is  a  decrease  m  population,  due  to  removals,  farm 
consolidation  and  improved  machinery,  enabling  more  land  to  be  farmed 
with  the  same  amount  of  help.  The  remaining  communities  are  about 
stationary  in  population.     Ninety-seven  per  cent,  of  the  population  are 

6 


regularly  industrious,  half  of  them  being  farmers  and  the  other  half 
laborers. 

The  principal  occupation  is  farming,  with  some  railroading,  and  con- 
siderable mining  by  foreigners  in  and  about  the  mining  towns.  Sixty-six 
per  cent,  of  the  population  are  of  American  stock,  related  by  intermar- 
riage or  descent  to  the  old  pioneer  families  who  came  into  this  region 
from  the  East  and  the  South.  About  10  per  cent,  of  the  population  are 
foreigners,  and  24  per  cent,  are  the  first  generation  descendants  of  foreign 
parents.  In  the  order  of  their  number,  the  foreigners  are  German,  Irish, 
Swede  and  Italian,  with  a  scattering  of  other  nationalities.  English  is 
the  only  language  spoken,  save  in  a  few  places  where  a  considerable 
number  of  Swedes  or  Germans  in  farming  communities  still  hold  to  the 
mother  tongue,  and  ui  the  mining  towns,  where  there  is  a  babel  of  tongues. 
In  one  mining  town  there  are  eleven  languages  spoken. 

Almost  all  the  people  are  conveniently  near  to  railroads,  which  in  this 
level  country  run  in  all  directions,  making  communication  very  easy  and 
access  to  markets  good.  Twenty  per  cent,  of  the  communities  have 
trolley  lines,  90  per  cent,  have  telephones,  and  97  per  cent,  of  the  people 
living  outside  of  towns  have  rural  free  dehvery.  In  25  per  cent,  of  the 
communities  there  is  a  beginning  of  better  roads  of  stone  and  gravel, 
while  in  all  the  communities  there  is  some  improvement  over  the  old 
ways  of  caring  for  the  dirt  roads.  Wherever  hard  roads  are  being  intro- 
duced they  are  being  built  just  as  fast  as  possible,  and  under  no  condition 
would  the  people  go  back  to  the  old  dirt  road. 

The  Pioneers 

We  must  remember  that  this  region  we  are  considering  is  not  an  old- 
settled  country,  but  still  young ;  the  pioneers  are  still  Uving  in  every  town 
w^ho  looked  upon  the  virgin  prairie  just  as  it  came  open  and  new  to  the 
settler's  hand.  This  first  generation  is  now  passing  away.  Their  task 
was  no  light  one:  to  conquer  the  soil,  build  fences  and  homes,  plant  trees, 
drain  the  swamps,  lay  out  roads,  organize  towns,  schools  and  churches. 
All  their  time  and  thought  were  taken  up  with  the  foundation  work  of 
civilization  here.  Life  was  stern  and  severe  with  these  fathers,  so  there 
was  little  time  for  the  more  refining  things  of  life — the  embellishments 
and  luxuries,  the  conveniences  and  attractive  features;  so  that  we  find 
very  little  X.o\a\  pride  or  unity  of  mind  or  purpose.  In  a  few  places  in  the 
country  there  are  community  improvements,  and  in  the  towns  there  is 
a  strange  admixture  of  the  old  careless,  self-centered  spirit  of  the  pioneer 
and  the  new  ideals  of  a  progressive  age.  Twenty  per  cent,  of  the  com- 
munities are  ruled  by  this  old  spirit  almost  entirely,  and  in  them  there  is 
but  one  standard  of  life,  as  measured  by  wages,  dress,  manners  and  amuse- 
ments.    In  the  rest  of  the  communities  there  are  from  two  to  six  distinct 

7 


A    COUNTRY    PARSONAGE    IN     A     I'ROSPEROUS    COMMUNITY 


standards  of  living.  In  39  per  cent,  of  the  places  the  most  influential 
man  is  the  banker,  and  in  36  per  cent,  the  farmer.  These  two  classes  of 
men  lead  all  others  in  popularity. 

The  places  where  people  meet  are  as  follows,  given  in  the  order  of 
preference:  stores,  restaurants,  pool  rooms,  saloons,  elevators,  barber 
shops.  Labor  unions  are  found  in  25  per  cent,  of  the  communities.  The 
political  situation  is  a  little  stronger  Republican  than  Democratic,  with 
quite  a  growing  Socialism,  especially  among  the  foreign  element.  Three 
of  the  communities  have  saloons  and  sixteen  have  pool  rooms. 

Seventy-live  per  cent,  of  the  homes  and  families  are  in  a  prosperous 
condition,  12  per  cent,  are  fair,  and  13  per  cent,  are  poor. 

There  is  a  growing  mail-order  business  in  nearly  all  of  the  communities 
with  Chicago  and  other  neighboring  cities.  Where  this  condition  pre- 
vails business  men  are  discouraged.  This  "mining  method"  of  business 
seems  to  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  same  methods  in  agriculture,  school 
and  church,  all  suffering  together;  one  of  the  unvarying  conclusions  of 
this  survey  being  this — that  in  a  prosperous  community  such  institutions 
as  school  and  farm  prosper,  but  where  the  reverse  is  true,  this  "mining 
method"  saps  the  life  out  of  home,  farm,  school,  church  and  social  well 
being. 
Recreation 

In  making  a  study  of  the  recreations  and  amusements  in  the  territory 

8 


covered  it  was  found  that  in  58  per  cent,  of  the  communities  there  was 
absolutely  nothing  in  the  way  of  amusement  or  recreational  life.  To 
supply  this  natural  demand  the  young  people  make  use  of  the  Interurban, 
going  to  the  neighboring  cities  of  Danville,  Eloomington,  Decatur  and 
Springfield  for  their  play  and  good  fellowship,  sometimes  securing  it  in 
ways  which  are  neither  helpful  nor  wholesome.  In  63  per  cent,  of  the 
communities  the  churches  provide  some  social  life,  mostly  for  members 
only.  Nearly  all  of  these  affairs  ha^•e  on  them  the  dollar  mark,  as 
though  created  for  revenue  only.  Few  outsiders  attend  such  functions. 
In  37  per  cent,  of  the  communities  there  is  not  even  this  small  provision 
for  the  social  life  of  the  people  provided  by  the  churches. 

In  the  way  of  commendable  recreation  and  amusement  provided  by 
other  agencies  than  the  church,  fifteen  communities  have  lecture  courses, 
with  about  five  numbers  each  winter.  These  are  promoted  by  business 
men.  Four  have  Chautauquas  in  summer,  from  one  to  two  weeks,  and 
eighteen  have  "picture  shows"  going  on  throughout  the  year  of  a  reason- 
ably high  grade.  In  twenty-seven  communities  there  are  literary  clubs 
of  various  kinds,  all  of  them  confined  to  women.  Although  all  of  the 
communities  are  in  agricultural  districts,  only  six  have  any  kind  of  a 
club  or  organization  which  might  be  called  agricultural.  Cooperation 
or  fellowship  among  farmers  seems  to  be  confined  exclusively  to  the  grain 
elevators,  ten  communities  having  farmers'  elevators,  whose  shares  are 
owned  by  the  farmers  themselves,  and  to  the  yearly  farmers'  institute 
of  one  or  two  days,  held  in  the  country  town. 

The  great  American  game  of  baseball  has  its  usual  popularity.  In  75 
per  cent,  of  the  communities  where  the  game  is  indulged  in  with  any 
regularity  games  are  played  on  the  day  of  rest  and  worship,  usually  just 
outside  the  corporation  limits  of  the  town,  so  that  church  and  town  people 
are  helpless  to  prevent  this  by  direct  means. 

The  grade  of  public  dances  is  low,  usually  showing  immoral  tendencies. 
A  hall  is  rented  by  individuals  or  clubs  and  everybody  invited  to  the 
dance.  In  some  places  dancing  is  kept  up  all  night,  and  often  ends  in  a 
riot.  This  is  especially  true  in  mining  tow^ns,  where  American  young 
people  are  strongly  influenced  by  the  license  of  an  alien  population. 

Although  most  of  the  communities  studied  are  nominally  "dry  towns," 
there  is  much  "wet  goods"  coming  in  by  express  or  freight  and  sold  by 
traveling  agents  of  distillery  and  brewery.  Not  as  much  is  sold  as  in  the 
old  days  of  the  saloon.  Now^  it  has  a  dishonest,  secretive  accompani- 
ment which  discredits  the  practice.  There  still  remains  in  spite  of  the 
banishment  of  the  saloons  pool  and  billiard  rooms.  These  resorts  are  the 
lounging  places  of  the  same  class  of  men  w'ho  formerly  patronized  the 
saloon  and  lived  by  its  business.     In  several  places  these  rooms  are  on 

9 


second  floors,  where  it  is  easy  to  be  secretive,  thus  making  them  attractive 
places  for  gamblers. 

Vitality  is  high  in  every  community,  in  spite  of  some  unsanitary  condi- 
tions, which  in  a  city  would  not  be  tolerated.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
here  that  while  the  average  life  has  been  lengthened  in  the  United  States 
during  the  past  years,  this  has  been  caused  by  better  sanitation  in  the 
cities,  and  conquest  of  contagious  and  children's  diseases  by  medical 
men,  rather  than  to  prolonged  life  on  the  farms.  Here  vitality  remains 
the  same  as  for  past  years,  and  whereas  improved  machinery  might  make 
the  farmer's  life  much  easier,  it  has  been  an  implement  in  his  hand  to 
farm  more  acres  and  become  more  and  more  like  the  machine  he  runs. 

Secret  societies  prevail  in  all  the  communities,  but,  contrary  to  the 
usual  opinion,  not  as  large  a  percentage  of  lodge  men  attend  their  lodges 
as  churchmen  attend  church,  and  where  lodge  men  attend  their  lodges 
regularly  there  is  generally  a  good  church  attendance  also.  Twenty  per 
cent,  of  lodge  members  attend  with  some  regularity  their  lodges. 

In  nineteen  communities  there  is  an  improvement  in  morals  and  in 
fifteen  moral  change  seems  to  be  at  a  standstill.  In  ten  communities 
there  is  a  deterioration  of  morals,  and  in  nine  of  these  last  communities 
there  is  a  growing  tendency  to  immorality  on  the  part  of  the  young  men 
and  boys. 

EDUCATIONAL 

There  is  less  than  5  per  cent,  of  illiteracy  among  these  people,  and  in 
most  communities  there  is  an  increasing  number  of  papers  and  magazines 
coming  through  the  mails.  Agricultural  bulletins,  either  from  the  agri- 
cultural college  or  the  Government,  are  not  read  much  by  the  farmers. 
There  are  ten  public  libraries  in  these  communities,  quite  well  patronized, 
but  the  reading  matter  is  mostly  light,  popular  fiction,  85  per  cent,  of  the 
books  taken  from  the  library  being  of  this  nature,  according  to  one 
librarian. 

All  of  the  high  schools  have  libraries,  some  very  good,  averaging  415 
volumes,  and  most  of  the  rural  schools  have  libraries  ranging  from  50  to 
300  volumes. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  quite  a  number  of  the  county  superintendents 
of  schools  were  new  men,  just  entering  upon  their  duties  at  the  time  the 
survey  was  made,  the  data  regarding  rural  schools  is  not  as  full  as  desired. 

School  Buildings — In  the  towns  they  are  mostly  brick  and  quite  mod- 
ern. Few  are  provided  with  ample  grounds  for  play,  and  only  one  or  two 
with  any  play  rooms.  Rarely  did  we  find  any  ornamentation  in  the  way 
of  shrubbery  or  flowers  about  the  buildings.  Sanitation  is  unsatisfactory. 
Thirty  per  cent,  of  the  schools  have  surface  wells  for  the  water  supply. 
Seventy-three  per  cent,  of  the  buildings  are  heated  by  steam.     Equip- 

10 


ment  and  apparatus  for  carrying  on  school  work  are  very  diverse,  some 
having  fine  equipment  and  some  poor. 

Rural  School  Buildings — These  are  for  the  most  part  old  and  out  of 
date — one  room,  low  ceilings,  dingy  and  dark.  Large  grounds  surround 
these  buildings,  but  are  bleak  and,  for  most  part,  bare  of  any  attractive- 
ness or  beauty.  Where  the  most  of  the  population  are  tenant  farmers,  the 
buildings  are  poorly  kept,  and  there  is  often  strong  opposition  from  the 
landlords  to  any  improvements.  The  surroundings  and  inadequate 
equipment  of  most  of  the  rural  schools  have  much  to  do  with  driving  the 
young  people  to  the  towns  and  cities.  Wherever,  in  the  last  few  years, 
conditions  have  compelled  the  erection  of  a  new  building  it  is  modern  in 
construction  and  equipment  and  the  pride  of  the  community.  On  ac- 
count of  the  waste  of  money  for  buildings  and  salaries  in  districts  where 
there  are  but  few  pupils,  there  is  a  great  need  of  rural-school  consolida- 
tion. In  a  few  communities  public  sentiment  is  growing  toward  this 
step,  and  in  several  places  township  high  schools  are  in  operation.  Until 
we  have  better  roads,  however,  there  cannot  be  much  done  inthis 
direction. 

Teaching  Force — The  salaries  of  teachers  in  the  town  schools  range 
from  $40  to  $166  per  month,  the  last  being  for  superintendent  or  princi- 
pal. Eighty  per  cent,  of  the  teachers  in  the  schools  are  women,  14  per 
cent,  of  whom  have  had  a  college  education.  The  average  number  of 
pupils  to  each  teacher  is  35.  In  two  towns  manual  training  has  been 
lately  introduced.     Athletic  organizations  are  more  numerous  than  lit- 


ROCK    CREEK    SCHOOL 

11 


erary  or  musical,  according  to  the  data  given.  In  59  per  cent,  of  the  com- 
munities one  or  more  entertainments  are  given  by  the  school  each  year, 
to  interest  the  parents  in  the  education  of  their  children.  In  Lexington 
there  is  a  very  successful  Mothers'  Club,  which  meets  once  each  month 
in  the  school  building,  just  after  school.  Here  the  mothers  and  teachers 
discuss  school  problems,  thus  binding  home  and  school  together.  The 
average  attendance  at  this  meeting  for  the  past  year  was  35.  It  might 
be  interesting  to  know  that  a  larger  proportion  of  young  people  are  going 
from  this  high  school  to  other  institutions  of  learning  than  from  any  other 
community  surveyed.  There  is  little  visiting  done  in  the  town  schools 
by  the  parents. 

Rural  Schools — The  salaries  of  teachers  range  from  $35  to  $100  per 
month,  only  a  few  receiving  $100.  Owing  to  the  small  salaries,  there  is  a 
steady  decrease  in  the  number  of  men  teachers  in  the  schools  of  our  State. 
The  majority  of  these  teachers  are  town-bred  girls,  who  have  no  interest 
or  sympathy  in  the  affairs  of  rural  uplift.  The  average  number  of  pupils 
to  the  teacher  is  18.  Only  in  part  of  the  counties  could  data  be  obtained. 
Agriculture  is  being  introduced  in  almost  all  of  the  rural  schools,  as  a  part 
of  the  State  course  of  study,  with  graded  work  in  the  classes,  examina- 
tions and  some  literary  work;  all  this  under  the  conscientious  and  faithful 
supervision  of  the  county  superintendents.  More  interest,  however,  is 
needed  on  the  part  of  the  farmers,  and  more  attractive  buildings,  better 
equipped,  that  the  rural  school  may  take  its  place  in  rural  uplift. 

Pupils — In  the  town  schools  the  attendance  of  pupils  is  94  per  cent,  of 
the  enrollment,  and  the  average  number  of  days  of  attendance  for  each 
pupil  for  the  year  is  146  days,  with  but  little  truancy.  In  the  mining 
communities,  however,  among  foreigners,  false  returns  are  often  given 
that  the  boys  may  be  taken  out  of  school  to  work  in  the  mines.  In 
high  schools,  there  are  two  boys  to  every  three  girls  in  attendance;  in 
the  grades  boys  and  girls  are  about  equal  in  number.  In  the  rural 
schools  the  attendance  is  only  80  per  cent,  of  the  enrollment,  and  the 
average  number  of  days'  attendance  for  each  pupil  is  only  98.  Of 
course,  rural  schools  have  a  shorter  term  of  school  for  the  year  than  the 
town  schools,  the  difference  being  from  six  to  ten  weeks,  but  this  will 
not  explain  away  the  fact  that  rural  schoolchildren  are  taken  out  of 
school  for  the  most  trivial  excuses,  and  made  to  do  an  adult's  work — a 
present  gain,  perhaps,  in  wealth  to  parents,  but  a  crippling  of  the  pupil's 
life  in  suitable  preparation  for  the  world's  work. 

There  are  some  very  small  schools  in  a  few  of  the  counties,  schools 
where  there  is  but  one  scholar,  and  yet  imposing  all  the  expense  upon  the 
taxpayers  that  would  carry  on  a  large  school.  In  the  entire  State  there 
are  97  schools  with  five  scholars  or  less,  but  a  growing  interest  is  seen 

12 


in  these  matters,  and  we  look  for  great  improvements  in  the  near  future 
for  the  rural  schools. 

RELIGIOUS 
Churches  Live  and  Dead 

In  these  44  communities  there  are  225  churches  of  twenty  denomina- 
tions, including  the  Roman  Catholic,  only  77  of  which  have  grown  any 
in  the  past  ten  years,  45  are  at  a  standstill  and  50  have  lost  in  member- 
ship, while  47  have  been  abandoned  in  the  last  ten  years.  Many  more 
church  buildings  have  been  torn  down  and  sold  in  this  time,  so  that  we  are 
only  counting  in  this  number  churches  that  are  still  standing.  Deserted, 
weed-surrounded,  falling  into  decay,  unfrequented  by  the  community,  the 
steeple  still  pointing  like  a  finger  toward  heaven,  the  abandoned  church  is 
a  silent  witness  to  a  community's  decadence  of  faith  in  God  and  love 
of  His  House.  If  the  same  proportion  of  abandoned  churches  prevails 
over  our  entire  State,  exclusive  of  Chicago,  there  would  be  over  1,600  in 
Illinois  alone  abandoned  within  the  past  ten  years.  To  sum  up  these 
figures :  In  the  past  ten  years  34  per  cent,  of  our  churches  have  grown  and 
66  per  cent,  are  at  a  standstill,  dying  or  dead.  Of  these  47  abandoned 
churches  29  are  rural  and  16  are  in  towns.  Few  of  these  abandoned 
churches  in  the  country  could  be  spared,  for  most  of  them  are  several 
miles  from  any  other  church.  In  the  towns  with  abandoned  churches 
there  is  no  especial  religious  substitute,  nor  is  there  any  manifested  pagan- 
ism that  would  explain  it.  On  the  contrary,  there  are  30  rural  communi- 
ties about  the  towns  surveyed  that  have  no  churches  or  are  within  five 
miles  of  a  church.  All  union  churches  are  dead.  Almost  without  excep- 
tion churches  where  languages  other  than  English  are  spoken  in  the 
regular  services  are  not  growing.  Foreigners,  working  in  the  mines,  are 
neglected  by  our  Protestant  churches,  which  are  under  the  impression  that 
they  are  all  Roman  Catholics.  After  investigation  and  conference  with 
Roman  Catholic  priests  we  found  that  only  a  small  number  of  these 
people  attend  church  at  all.  Coming  to  this  land  of  liberty  they  throw 
off  all  religious  restraint,  and  "non- Catholic"  and  "pagan"  are  the 
names  given  them.  Of  course,  the  many  languages  spoken  hinder  our 
bringing  them  the  gospel  (thirteen  languages  being  spoken  in  one  mining 
town),  but  our  churches  are  guilty  of  neglect  in  not  bringing  to  these 
"strangers"  the  enlightening  influences  of  Christianity. 

We  have  heard  it  said  often  that  Roman  Catholic  churches  are  growing 
more  rapidly  in  this  country  than  Protestantism,  but  we  find  in  the 
seventeen  Roman  Catholic  churches  in  the  region  surveyed  that  in  the 
past  ten  years  six  have  grown,  six  are  at  a  standstill  and  five  are  dying; 
in  other  words,  their  condition  is  just  about  the  same  as  the  Protestant 
churches.  We  found  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy  interested  in  this 
survey  work  and  glad  to  give   statistical   information.     The  younger 

13 


163 


Country  Churches 


in  Illinois 


Standing 


Growing 


Losing 
Ground 


A  Change 
needed' 


wnat  IS 
to  be  doriQ  ? 


Is  this  enough? 


14 


clergy,  especially,  were  concerned  in  these  problems  common  to  all  the 
churches  of  Christ. 

The  kinds  of  service  which  the  church  furnishes  to  the  communities  is 
appreciated  in  the  following  order:  Worship,  Revivals,  Sermon,  Cere- 
mony. The  attitude  of  the  entire  population  toward  the  church  is  as 
follows:  35  per  cent,  are  reverent,  30  per  cent,  sympathetic,  30  per  cent, 
are  indifferent,  and  5  per  cent,  are  hostile. 

The  Unchurched 

In  the  communities  surveyed  31  per  cent,  of  the  population  are 
church  members  (including  Roman  Cathohcs  and  Lutherans,  who  count 
every  baptized  child  a  member),  while  only  19  per  cent,  of  the  population 
attend  church  with  any  regularity.  Since  there  is  an  exceedingly  small 
proportion  of  non-church  members  who  attend  church,  we  see  that  nearly 
half  of  the  church  members  do  not  go.  As  these  figures  include  the 
Roman  Catholics  and  Lutherans,  who  are  exceedingly  faithful  in  church 
attendance,  we  believe  it  fair  to  say  that  50  per  cent,  of  our  Protestant 
church  members  do  not  attend  church.  Only  13  per  cent,  of  the  popula- 
tion attend  Sabbath  School  regularly  (including  catechism  classes  of 
liturgical  churches),  or  only  3  per  cent,  more  of  the  population  attend 
Sabbath  School  than  there  are  enrolled  in  the  public  schools  of  the  towns 
alone.  In  a  few  communities  we  found  less  scholars  attending  the  Sab- 
bath Schools  of  the  town  than  attended  the  public  schools.  The  Sabbath 
Schools  ha\nng  all  ages  to  draw  from,  both  in  town  and  in  the  country 
surrounding  the  town,  did  not  have  as  many  attendants  as  the  public 
school  in  the  to^vn,  confined  as  it  is  to  children  of  school  age,  and  to  the 
corporation  limits,  and  this  was  in  Protestant  communities.  There  is 
one  church  to  every  511  of  the  population,  the  average  membership  of 
each  church  being  168,  and  the  average  attendance  at  church  93.  The 
average  membership  of  Sabbath  Schools  is  105,  and  of  attendance  67. 

Forty-eight  per  cent,  of  the  population  is  unchurched.  We  mean  by  that 
people  who  do  not  attend  church,  or  the  people  on  whom  the  church  has 
no  influence,  and  to  whom  the  church  is  dead  (preachers  being  needed  for 
funerals  only).  Of  the  living  churches  13  pay  no  regular  salary,  while  the 
average  salary  of  the  ministers  in  this  rich  corn -belt  land,  which  often  sells 
at  ^25  per  acre,  is  $837.35  a  year.  In  one  church,  where  a  consecrated 
young  minister  is  giving  his  very  life  blood  for  his  people,  his  salary  is 
$500  per  year,  while  in  this  same  congregation  this  past  year  six  automo- 
biles were  bought  by  farmers  belonging  to  this  church,  and  all  of  them 
high-priced  machines.  Speaking  of  "autos,"  there  are  very  few  of  them 
that  have  the  church-going  habit.     There  is  need  of  conversion  here. 

The  dirt  roads  of  this  region  are  given  as  excuse  for  the  small  attend- 
ance, but  in  the  two  communities  where  there  are  the  best  stone  and 

15 


gravel  roads  we  find  the  lowest  percentage  of  church  attendance,  there 
being  only  9  to  15  per  cent,  of  the  population  who  attend  church.  Good 
roads  seem  to  encourage  Sunday  automobiling  and  visiting. 

In  the  last  communities  surveyed  some  questions  were  asked  regarding 
the  prayer  meetings,  and  in  68  churches  out  of  101  that  have  this  mid- 
week service  of  prayer,  testimony  and  praise  the  average  attendance  of 
the  men  is  3.4  per  cent,  and  of  women  6.7  per  cent.,  or  10  per  cent,  of  the 
church. 

Welfare 

The  majority  of  the  ministers  are  housed  in  comfortable  manses,  and 
the  church  buildings  are  commodious  and  modern.  The  salaries  paid 
are  not  sufficient,  however,  for  the  proper  education  of  the  children  of 
the  manse,  nor  to  provide  for  old  age. 

Wealth  is  increasing  rapidly  in  all  this  region,  but  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  denomination  it  is  a  rare  instance  where  there  has  been  any 
increase  in  the  minister's  salary.  The  Methodist  denomination  pays  the 
highest  salaries  in  the  communities  surveyed,  there  having  been  an 
increase  in  salaries  in  almost  all  of  their  churches  in  the  past  few  years. 

In  only  eight  communities  is  there  any  kind  of  a  ministerial  association 
among  the  churches,  or  any  united  effort  for  community  uplift.  Where 
these  ministerial  associations  are  found  the  churches  are  more  thriving 
and  united,  a  larger  proportion  of  the  people  are  church  members,  and  a 
larger  percentage  attend  church.  In  several  communities  there  has 
never  been  a  united  effort,  even  of  a  revival  nature,  among  the  churches, 
and  here  denominationalism  runs  riot,  and,  consequently,  spiritual  life  is 
weak  and  dying.  In  general,  the  welfare  of  the  people  represents 
itself  in  the  welfare  of  the  churches.  Actual,  not  merely  financial, 
welfare  sustains  the  churches.  Financial  gains,  so  long  as  they  are 
not  translated  into  rural  welfare,  destroy  the  churches.  The  exploita- 
tion of  the  land  exhausts  the  churches,  and  the  retirement  of  the 
farmers  who  are  successful  in  selling  their  farms  destroys  them. 
Divided  farmers  mean  divided  churches ;  country  people  united  for 
farming  make  possible  federated  churches. 

Solid  agricultural  prosperity  expresses  itself  in  permanent  country 
churches.  The  church  stands  as  the  symbol  of  real  farming  pros- 
perity, and  the  abandoned  or  dying  country  church  is  a  danger 
signal  of  spurious  gains  through  superficial  culture. 

The  following  table  gives  the  religious  status  of  the  church  by  denomi- 
nations, indicating  the  number  of  each  church  growing,  standing  still, 
dying  or  dead: 


16 


TABLE  (F) 


CHURCH   STATUS 


Denomination 


*Methodist  Episcopal 

Baptist 

Baptist,  Primitive 

Disciple 

Apostolic  Christian 

Christian  Advent 

fPresbyterian 

Presbyterian,  United 

Presbyterian,  Cumberland 

Roman  Catholic 

United  Brethren 

Congregational 

Lutheran 

German  Evangelical 

Protestant  Episcopal 

Swedish  Mission 

Baptist,  German 

Friends 

Holiness 

jNazarenes 

Union 

Totals 


12 
4 

13 


30 


77 


5  c 


17 
6 

5 
1 


45 


56 


3  (3 


18 
4 
2 
5 


47 


55 
22 

4 

27 
1 
1 

48 
2 
1 

17 
6 
5 

10 
6 
3 
3 
2 
2 
3 
3 
4 


225 


*The  Methodist  Church  has  suffered  loss  more  than  any  other  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
because  this  was  the  church  that  ministered  particularly  to  the  rural  communities.  In  the 
changed  conditions  of  rural  life,  through  tenantry  and  the  abandonment  of  her  class  meeting  and 
circuit  system,  we  can  see  how  such  conditions  prevail. 

fThere  was  a  Presbyterian  Church  in  every  community  surveyed.  This  was  because,  as  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  I  could  have  an  entree  into  the  community.  This  explains  why  there  are 
more  Presbyterian  Churches  than  the  real  proportion  in  this  territory,  as  compared  with  the  other 
churches. 

JA  new  sect  springing  up  within  the  past  few  years. 


17 


RECOMMENDATIONS 

Conserve  the  Soil 

In  this  part  of  Illinois  the  fertility  of  the  soil  has  been  wasted.  This 
survey  shows  that  the  value  of  the  land  is  going  down,  while  the  price  of 
the  land  is  going  up.  The  church  goes  down  with  the  value  of  the  land. 
The  speculative  price  of  the  soil  never  helps  the  church,  but,  rather, 
hinders  it.  If  the  country  churches  in  Illinois  are  to  be  bettered  the 
improvement  must  begin  with  the  farm  land.  In  self  defence  the  Illinois 
country  churches  will  be  forced  in  the  early  future  to  promote  the  con- 
servation of  the  soil.  If  they  do  not  save  the  soil  they  will  lose  their 
right  to  save  the  soul. 

In  an  Illinois  community  where  the  churches  are  struggling  hard  to 
survive  a  farmer  gave  this  testimony:  "Fifteen  years  ago  my  land  was 
producing  90  bushels  of  corn  per  acre;  now  it  is  producing  48,  and  I  can- 
not get  more  out  of  it.  At  that  time  it  was  worth  $75  an  acre;  now  it  is 
worth  ^190  an  acre."  In  this  community  the  decadence  of  the  church 
has  been  parallel  to  the  falling  value  of  the  land.  The  Almighty  does  not 
intend  that  the  churches  shall  profit  by  speculation.  The  stern  law  of 
the  country  church  is  that  it  shall  be  just  as  good  as  the  power  of  the 
land  to  produce. 

Indeed,  the  speculative  price  of  the  land  kills  the  country  church,  for 
it  reduces  the  interest  which  the  farmer  gets  on  his  invested  capital.  In 
a  prosperous  country  community  the  farmer  ought  to  receive  a  profit  on 
the  market  value  of  his  land  as  good  as  the  investor  receives  who  puts 
his  money  into  railroad  stocks,  but  in  these  parts  some  Illinois  farmers  get 
only  2  or  3  per  cent,  on  their  money.  This  compels  them  to  sell  and  retire 
to  the  town,  or  go  westward  or  eastward  for  cheaper  land.  Their  departure 
weakens  the  country  church.  The  process  being  long  continued  kills  the 
country  church. 

The  investigator  discovered  that  through  central  Illinois  53  per  cent, 
of  the  farmers  in  these  communities  are  tenants.  These  tenants,  though 
they  have  remained  in  some  instances  for  years,  have  generally  a  one- 
year  lease  on  the  land.  Their  chance  of  purchasing  land  is  very  small, 
so  that  their  interest  in  the  community  is  at  the  lowest  point.  Churches 
among  such  tenants  must  be  sustained  from  above.  These  men  cannot 
maintain  a  strong  country  church.  That  fact  of  itself  is  enough  to  con- 
demn the  system.  If  there  is  a  class  of  Americans  who  cannot  maintain 
an  independent  church  something  is  the  matter.  The  most  conserva- 
tive citizen  should  recognize  the  vicious  character  of  this  system  of  leasing 
the  land. 

But  even  the  land  owners  in  central  Illinois  have  given  up  the  feeding 
of  cattle.     Instead  of  enriching  their  land  by  the  process  of  feeding 

18 


FARMERS      ELEVATOR,   TALLULA,    ILL. 

cattle,  they  are  too  often  following  the  easier  path  of  "straight  grain 
farming,"  which  steadily  reduces  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  This  shows  that 
even  among  the  land-owning  farmers  the  standards  of  tilKng  the  soil  are 
very  low.  These  low  standards  threaten  the  future  of  the  church.  No 
piety  and  no  good  preaching  and  no  excellence  of  supervision  can  insure 
the  future  of  the  churches  in  central  Illinois  unless  the  farmers  conse- 
crate themselves  to  the  soil.  A  man  is  not  a  good  man  who  robs  the 
land  that  his  son  is  to  inherit.  If  the  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament 
does  not  forbid  such  soil  robbery,  then  the  Judaism  of  the  Old  Testament 
should  be  preached  in  these  country  churches.  Such  sins  are  forbidden, 
even  in  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy.  The  country  churches  in  Illinois, 
therefore,  in  the  interest  of  the  whole  population  must  wage  a  campaign 
for  the  preservation  of  the  soil.  It  will  be  a  campaign  in  self-defense. 
The  country  church  will  thus  become  a  champion  of  the  whole  people. 
Indeed,  she  is  the  people's  exponent  today.  For  as  the  country  church 
goes  down  the  grade  of  the  farmer  and  the  character  of  the  typical  coun- 
tryman is  lowered.  As  the  country  church  survives  it  will  indicate  the 
survival  of  the  sterling  American  farmer,  an  independent  and  intelligent 
citizen,  the  master  of  his  own  situation. 

Village  Improvement 

The  survey  shows  that  while  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  territory 
remain  there  is  little  local  pride.  The  towns  are  not  impro\-ed.  A  New 
Englander,  resident  in  central  Illinois,  recently  exclaimed  at  the  lack  of 

19 


beauty  in  the  Illinois  town.  New  England  is  poor  and  Illinois  is  rich, 
but  the  Massachusetts  country  town  is  beautiful  and  the  country  town 
in  Illinois  is  ugly  and  repellent.  A  movement  is  needed  for  the  beautify- 
ing and  improvement  of  the  streets,  the  sidewalks,  the  lawns,  for  the 
removal  of  unsightly  bill  boards  and  the  cultivation  of  town  pride.  The 
movement  ought  to  honor  the  early  settlers  of  the  country,  for  moral 
self  respect  of  the  town  must  begin  with  respect  for  its  past.  The 
churches  which  are  interested  in  moral  welfare  will  find  a  fruitful  field  in 
the  cultivation  of  local  self-respect.  This  self-respect  must  move  in  a 
love  of  beauty,  and  while  its  beginnings  are  esthetic  its  ends  are  highly 
moral,  especially  in  the  influence  of  the  town  upon  its  young  people  and 
upon  immigrants.  It  must  clean  its  own  streets  and  impress  the  child 
and  immigrant  with  a  sense  of  order,  decency  and  cleanliness.  At  the 
present  time  these  things  do  not  appear  in  the  middle  Illinois  country 
town.  Nobody  seems  to  care  for  the  common  concerns  of  the  place. 
The  churches  talk  in  vain  about  the  beauty  of  the  heavenly  streets,  if  they 
pay  no  attention  to  the  untidiness  of  the  town  streets.  If  the  churches 
mean  business  they  will  lead  in  making  heaven  intelligible  by  removal 
of  tilth  and  weeds  from  the  neighboring  earth. 

Sanitation  in  the  Rural  Home 

On  the  farm  the  mother  of  the  house  is  the  health  department.  She 
has  to  know  for  the  farm  group  all  that  the  departments  of  health,  police 
and  schools  in  the  cities  need  to  know  about  sanitation.  Indeed,  she 
must  have  the  knowledge  which  the  department  of  correction  possesses. 
The  lack  of  this  knowledge  among  farming  women  is  the  cause  of  the 
retarded  sanitary  development  of  the  country.  The  cities  for  all  their 
great  difficulties  are  surpassing  the  country  in  their  attention  to  sanitary 
reform.  The  death  rate  is  controlled  in  the  city.  It  is  still  increasing  in 
the  country.  The  time  will  come,  if  present  processes  go  on,  when  men 
will  flee  to  the  city  for  good  health  and  in  fear  of  the  unrestrained  diseases 
of  the  country.  That  time  will  not  come  if  the  farm  mother  can  be 
taught  sanitation. 

These  farm  women  are  very  generally  in  the  churches.  The  churches 
should  be  the  centers  of  interest  in  matters  of  health.  The  Master 
healed  disease.  The  study  of  health,  therefore,  is  a  spiritual  duty.  The 
churches  should  be  opened  for  lectures  on  health  and  the  women  of  the 
community  should  be  organized  in  the  interest  of  public  sanitation. 
Societies  of  women  should  take  up  these  topics.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
get  lecturers  from  afar.  The  country  doctor  would  be  glad  to  talk  on 
questions  of  hygiene.  A  specialist  could  be  secured  from  the  near-by 
town  to  talk  about  diseases  of  the  eyes,  or  about  tuberculosis,  or  about 
the  drainage  and  sanitation  of  the  house  and  farm.     As  soon  as  these 

20 


BRIXGING    THE    CHILDREN    TO    SCHOOL 

questions  are  clearly  faced  it  will  be  seen  that  many  people  in  the  country 
live  in  atrocious  disregard  of  the  elementary  principles  of  health.  There 
is  nothing  in  good  air  and  hard  work  that  will  fortify  a  man  against  a 
continued  neglect  of  these  principles.  Country  people  are  constantly 
suffering  from  sicknesses,  small  and  great,  against  which  they  feel  them- 
selves helpless.  The  spirit  of  rebellion  against  these  sicknesses  is  general 
in  the  cities  and  towns.  People  expect  there  to  be  well.  In  the  country 
they  expect  to  be  sick.  It  is  for  the  church  to  heal  this  expectation  of 
sickness  and  arouse  the  people  in  the  country  to  a  determination  to  be 
well. 


Better  Schools 

The  findings  of  the  survey  are  very  thorough  and  complete  in  reference 
to  the  public  schools.  These  findings  are  commended  to  the  reader. 
The  country  ministers  who  are  doing  well  in  Illinois  are  convinced  that 
without  the  improvement  of  schools  no  betterment  of  the  country 
church  is  permanent.  Better  farming  and  sanitation  cannot  be  perma- 
nently taught  in  the  one -room  country  school.  There  are  distinguished 
country  churches  in  Illinois  whose  efficiency  is  an  example  over  the  whole 
country.  The  future  of  these  very  churches  is  in  peril,  because  of  the 
deficient  and  inferior  schools  about  them.  The  church  may  inspire,  but 
the  common  school  has  to  train  men  in  modern  living.  The  country 
churches  of  Illinois  should  support  the  policies  embodied  in  the  John 
Swaney  Consolidated   School.     The  work  of  Miss   Mabel  Carney  at 

21 


AN  ATTRACTIVE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 


Illinois  Normal  University,  at  Normal,  is  commended  to  country 
churches.  When  the  time  comes  the  legislature  of  the  State  must  be 
constrained  by  public  opinion  to  take  needed  action  for  the  improvement 
of  the  country  schools.  The  principle  in  this  improvement  is  the  con- 
solidation of  schools  in  the  country  and  the  providing  of  a  higher  standard 
of  education  in  the  graded  school  out  in  the  open  country.  Such  con- 
solidation as  this  has  been  effected  by  the  people  of  Rock  Creek,  Illinois, 
and  the  leaders  in  this  work  are  the  leaders  of  the  country  church  at  that 
place. 

Recreation 

It  appears  that  58  per  cent,  of  the  country  population  in  these  com- 
munities surveyed  have  no  facilities  for  recreation.  Remembering  that 
these  people  work  hard  for  long  hours,  it  is  natural  that  the  young  men 
and  women  and  that  the  working  people  should  seek  recreation.  When 
a  man  works  he  sweats.  When  a  community  works,  just  as  infallibly  it 
turns  to  recreation.  The  result  is  in  central  Illinois  that  the  interurban 
trolley  takes  the  people  out  of  the  country  into  the  town.  Recreations 
are  provided  for  them  in  the  towns  for  one  reason  only — namely,  profit. 
Moreover,  the  countryman  who  seeks  his  pleasure  in  the  town  accepts  a 
dissipation  or  endures  a  degradation  which  he  would  not  allow  at  home. 
Recreation  should  be  enjoyed  in  the  community  where  work  is  done,  for 
organized  play  is  an  essential  part  of  systematic  labor. 

In  Hanover,  N.  J.,  the  country  church  has  organized  the  recreative 

22 


Social  and 
Recreational  Life 


Here 


Not  here 


39.4% 

23.1?o 

29.2% 


14.6% 


PcT'CGnta^c  of   the  popn.la.tioix  who  a.rc 
Church  A\ciubo7-<; 


Percentage,  of  the  PoptLJation,  who 
a.tterLcL  Ch.L^rch-  on  avci-ae^c  Sabbatlr. 


23 


life  of  the  countryside.  The  minister,  Mr.  Augustine,  has  discovered 
that,  whereas  his  people  used  to  go  to  Madison  for  their  holidays,  they 
now  stay  at  home,  because  these  holidays  are  celebrated  in  the  commun- 
ity. In  a  similar  way,  at  Rock  Creek,  111.,  the  celebration  of  the  Fourth 
of  July  has  now  come  to  be  a  local  custom.  Fireworks  are  excluded  by 
means  of  providing  a  substitute  and  the  people  of  the  community  stay 
at  home,  while  others  dri\'e  from  afar  for  the  celebration  in  the  open 
country  of  the  national  holiday  in  a  sane  and  helpful  manner. 

This  work  should  be  done  for  every  countryside.  The  people  of  this 
part  of  Illinois  are  unprovided  with  places  of  meeting.  They  gather  in 
stores,  grain  elevators  and  other  places  of  commercial  resort,  because 
they  have  not  as  yet  thought  well  enough  of  themselves  and  of  their 
neighbors  to  make  public  provision  for  the  casual  meetings  and  the  social 
assemblies  in  which  the  life  of  a  community  flows.  This  is  the  task 
before  the  churches.  If  it  is  worth  while  to  save  souls  in  Illinois  it  is 
worth  while  to  make  them  respect  themselves  after  they  are  saved.  Let 
the  minister  who  preaches  salvation  teach  the  people  to  live  it;  let  them 
build  up  the  social  life,  make  occasions  for  casual,  frecjuent  and  natural 
meetings,  dignify  the  common  enterprise,  find  means  of  bringing  the 
people  together.  Recreation  does  not  mean  gymnasium  sweat  and  field- 
day  contests  alone.  Indeed,  in  the  country  these  should  be  among  the 
last  things  provided.  But  it  means  that  whatever  common  meeting  and 
common  task  there  is  in  the  community  the  people  will  find  in  it  a 
refreshing  restoration  of  the  common  life.  If  it  was  worth  while  for  the 
Almighty  to  create  the  world  it  is  worth  while  for  the  country  church 
to  recreate  the  country  community. 

Evangelism  for  Landlords 

This  section  is  central  in  the  influence  of  the  landlord  over  the  farmer. 
The  American  system  of  farming  has  resulted  in  this,  that  wherever  the 
soil  is  richest  there  the  proportion  of  tenants  is  the  greatest.  Middle 
Illinois,  whose  soil  is  famed  for  its  richness  and  resources,  has  brought 
forth  a  landlord  class  whose  numbers  and  representati\'e  character  give 
them  a  central  place  in  the  whole  country.  Fifty-three  per  cent,  of 
farmers  in  the  communities  sur^•eyed  are  tenants.  The  landlords  live  in 
the  towns  where  the  churches  are  strongest.  The  opportunity  of  the 
church  to  influence  this  whole  territory  through  the  landlords  is  very 
great. 

The  necessity  for  this  should  be  stated.  The  middle  Illinois  landlord 
is  not  a  friend  of  the  improvement  of  the  country  community.  He  is  in  a 
position  to  exert  a  great  influence,  and  in  time,  as  his  mind  matures,  he 
will  be  a  great  influence  for  good.  At  the  present  time  he  is  indifferent,  as 
a  rule,  to  the  welfare  of  the  country  community.     In  many  cases  he  is  a 

24 


V    i44  Communities inlli}^^ 

Stores     mmmm^^mm^mm^^^mmm^ 

/Restaurants  i_-i— -i— ^^ 
Pool  Rooms  i—^^i-i-m— - 
Saloons    — i— _i 
Town  Hall 
Elevators 
Shops 
Barbershops 

SHOULD  NOTiH'  CHURCH 
PROVIDE  ROOMS? 


25 


mere  absentee,  drawing  his  rent  from  the  farms  he  owns,  caring  nothing 
save  for  the  increasing  of  his  rent  with  the  rising  price  of  the  land. 
These  landlords,  wherever  they  live,  in  city  or  in  town,  should  be  called 
to  account  by  the  churches.  Public  opinion  should  be  aroused  so  as  to 
influence  them,  and  the  power  of  the  church  to  appeal  to  public  sentiment 
should  be  brought  to  bear  in  such  a  way  as  to  lay  public  responsibility 
upon  these  owners  of  farm  land. 

But  many  landlords  are  aroused  to  a  duty  through  the  diminished 
fertility  of  the  soil.  They  are  already  following  the  farmers'  institute 
and  studying  the  lessons  set  by  the  State  university.  These  men  have 
not  generally  awakened  to  the  importance  of  improving  the  human  stock. 
They  have  come  to  recognize  the  necessity  of  improving  the  soil  and  the 
brutes  by  which  they  get  their  profit.  A  finer  opportunity  could  not  be 
presented  to  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ  than  is  involved  in  the  privilege  of 
preaching  to  these  landlords.  These  men  and  women  have  the  resources. 
They  are  in  a  position  of  relative  leisure,  so  that  they  can  become  intelli- 
gent. All  the  power  of  Gospel  appeal  should  be  made  with  the  authority 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  to  cause  them  to  devote  themselves  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  communities  from  which  they  bring  their  income. 

Mere  evangelism,  with  talks  about  the  saving  of  the  soul  and  promises 
of  heavenly  life,  is  not  enough  in  these  towns  and  cities  where  land  owners 
live.  Such  evangelism  is  itself  deceptive.  In  central  Illinois  the 
unlimited  promise  of  heavenly  salvation  is  false  to  the  Kingdom.  Owners 
of  land  in  a  country  in  which  the  soil  is  producing  less  every  year,  in 
which  the  churches  and  schools  are  deteriorating,  where  the  human  stock 
is  being  exploited,  and  an  American  rural  peasantry  is  being  produced, 
are  responsible  men.  They  can  save  their  souls  only  as  they  save  the 
soil  and  the  people  who  till  it.  For  them  the  Gospel  speaks  of  the  King- 
dom and  hardly  shall  they  enter  into  the  Kingdom;  not  easily. 

A  Serviceable  Church  for  Foreigners 

The  survey  discloses  many  settlements  of  foreigners  engaged  in  min- 
ing. These  people  are  beyond  the  help  of  the  Catholic  Church.  They 
must  be  reached  with  Protestant  ministry,  or  not  at  all.  Present  con- 
ditions are  breeding  atheism  among  them.  They  know  nothing  of  the 
legitimate  history  of  American  religious  institutions.  To  bring  them 
into  Protestant  fellowship  is  to  Americanize  them.  The  resources  for  so 
doing  are  amply  provided  in  the  leading  churches  of  this  region.  The 
Lord  has  prospered  the  farmer  and  the  merchant  and  the  manufacturer 
of  this  region,  and  the  mine  owner  as  well.  This  prosperity  should  be 
consecrated  in  a  definite  ministry  suited  to  the  needs  of  foreigners  in 
this  region.  Their  need  is  of  a  serviceable  church.  They  live  a  life  of 
emergencies.     They  own  no  land,  they  are  working  in  a  changeable, 

26 


iHeVAUIEo^^^^SNALL  CHURCH 

in  ^uan^elization 


Increase  in 

1901 


MtMBEffSff/P 
1911 


The  small  0urch  has  made  theinost 
rapid  grofffh  IS  THB  last  10  years. 

(  44  Communities  in  III.)- 


27 


o 

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LiJ 

Lll 
UJ 


CO 


Dm  CO 


O 


CI 


si 
o 


CO 


g 

o 


o  g 


r 


o 

CO 

o 


CD 


h 


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28 


inconstant  industry,  and  the  church  which  ministers  to  them  must 
broadly  care  for  their  present  state.  It  must  serve  them  in  the  needs  of 
their  intelligence,  of  their  social  and  economic  life.  Their  church  should 
be  a  social  center. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  only  foreign-speaking  ministers  can 
evangelize  the  foreigner.  The  chief  necessity  with  them  is  of  the  English 
language.  They  ha\'e  come  to  an  American  community  and  American- 
speaking  ministers  can  bring  them  to  a  clearer  conception  of  religious 
truth  than  they  can  receive  from  a  foreigner.  Initially  the  task  is  harder, 
but  with  the  same  de\'otion  greater  results  are  attained  by  an  American- 
speaking  minister  in  ten  years  than  by  one  of  foreign  speech.  This  is  a 
call  for  the  consecration  of  some  ministers  in  this  territory  to  the  needs 
of  future  Americans. 

Simday-School  A  ctivity 

Generally  throughout  these  communities  surveyed  the  Sunday  Schools 
are  markedly  smaller  than  the  churches  and  their  total  membership  in 
the  town  is  smaller  than  the  school  attendance  of  that  town.  There  is  a 
lost  quantity  in  the  Sunday-School  membership.  Numbers  of  children 
are  obviously  neglected.  Considering  that  the  Sunday  Schools  should 
be  the  feeders  of  the  churches,  remembering  that  religious  education  is 
the  foundation  of  Protestant  membership,  it  is  obvious  that  the  duty  of 
the  churches  for  an  aggressive  Sunday-School  policy  is  a  chief  duty. 


PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH,    WINCHESTl.R,    II. 1, 

29 


PR(_)Sin-:RlTY,    THE    RESU.l    ( )F    IN  I  I.  KDENOMINATIONAL    HARMONY 


30 


If  only  the  Sunday-School  leaders  knew  it,  they  have  a  vehicle  in  their 
hands  for  ministry  to  the  whole  population.  Through  the  Sunday  School 
the  immigrant  can  be  brought  in.  In  the  downtown  sections  of  New 
York  City,  where  the  task  of  the  Church  is  most  difficult,  the  Sunday 
School  aggressively  used  is  proving  a  most  efficient  agent  for  evangeUzing 
and  Americanizing  the  foreigner.  Its  utihty  with  x\merican  country 
people,  with  tenant  farmers  and  other  marginal  people  has  long  been 
known.  The  need  is  of  the  consecration  of  men  and  women  in  these 
country  churches  to  the  teaching  of  Scripture  truth. 

Readjust  the  Ministers^  Salaries 

Throughout  this  region  the  salaries  of  ministers  are  good  indices  of  the 
growth  of  the  church.  Churches  which  are  doing  well  have  recognized 
the  necessity  for  a  better  salary  for  the  minister.  The  home-missionary 
forces  of  this  territory  should  devote  their  energies  to  impro\-ing  the 
salary  of  the  minister.  This  cannot  be  done  by  the  minister  himself, 
and  very  often  his  people  are  equally  helpless  in  approaching  the  task. 
It  is  properly  a  task  of  supervision.  It  should  be  accomplished  by  a 
common  movement  throughout  all  the  churches.  The  reason  for  this  is 
that  the  prices  the  minister  has  to  pay  have  been  increased  in  recent  years 
and  the  calls  upon  him  are  greater,  while  his  income  has  not  been  in- 
creased to  meet  them. 

Dying  Churches 

In  these  Presbyterian  communities  five  Presbyterian  churches  have 
died  in  the  past  ten  years.  None  of  them  was  a  United  Presbyterian 
or  a  Cumberland  church.  In  the  whole  territory  surveyed  47  churches 
have  died,  of  which  29  were  country  churches,  the  great  majority  of  the 
whole.  As  elsewhere,  the  larger  proportion  of  the  churches  which  are 
stationary,  dying  or  dead  are  in  the  country.  This  is  due  in  part  to  the 
fact  that  in  the  country  there  were  too  many  churches  to  begin  with.  It 
is  due,  also,  to  the  diminishing  population  of  the  country,  for  without  loss 
of  productive  power  the  farm  population  can  be  diminished  along  with 
the  use  of  modern  machinery.  This  process  is  bound  to  continue  even 
further  than  it  has  gone  at  present.  It  points  to  the  necessity  of  read- 
justment of  country-church  life.  Federations  of  churches  should  be 
formed,  the  weaker  churches  eliminated  and  the  territory  distributed  by 
general  consent  among  churches  of  different  denominations.  In  many 
places  the  ideal  condition  of  one  church  serving  a  whole  community  will 
be  realized.  This  survey  shows  that  union  churches  do  not  prosper  in 
middle  Illinois.  The  situation  is  likely  to  approach  that  at  Rock  Creek, 
on  one  side  of  which  a  Presbyterian  Church  serves  a  whole  population, 
and  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek  a  Baptist  Church  is  equally  acceptable 

31 


to  all.  These  two  churches  live  in  mutual  respect  and  cultivate  a  spirit 
among  their  people  of  respect  for  the  boundary  between  them. 

This  is  the  new  evangelism  needed  in  central  Illinois.  The  converting 
of  the  souls  of  men  must  be  its  first  note  always,  but  this  conversion 
should  be  accomplished  through  the  Sunday  School  all  the  days  of  the 
year,  and  by  the  evangelist  only  at  a  proper  season  in  the  year. 

It  should  be  a  training  of  men  in  religious  knowledge  rather  than  a 
shocking  of  men  through  religious  fear.  It  should  be  a  constructive 
doctrine  that  shall  build  the  Church  on  the  foundations  of  the  Kingdom. 
It  should  lay  responsibilities  on  them  who  ha\^e  and  make  demands  of 
those  who  are  prospered.  There  is  need  of  the  rebuke  of  the  proud  and 
the  law  must  be  laid  on  the  shoulders  of  those  who  exploit  the  labor  of 
the  poor  and  rob  the  soil  of  its  fertility.  The  churches  in  central  Illinois 
ride  on  the  tide  of  prosperity.  As  wealth  is  distributed  among  the 
people,  as  the  ownership  of  land  comes  to  those  who  labor,  the  Church  will 
prosper.  /\s  the  common  schools  are  improved  and  as  sanitary  condi- 
tions are  bettered,  as  country  life  is  made  worth  while  and  attractive  to 
the  young  and  to  laboring  men,  in  just  so  far  will  the  Church  do  well, 
and  if  these  things  are  not  done  the  present  condition  of  blight  and 
degeneration  of  the  churches  will  continue.  As  the  people  deteriorate 
their  churches  will  run  down. 

It  is  a  very  bad  sign  for  central  Illinois  that  only  34  per  cent.,  only 
about  one- third,  of  the  country  churches  are  doing  well.  There  is  every 
indication  that  not  more  than  one-third  of  the  people  in  central  Illinois 
are  prospering,  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord. 


OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


32 


U.  ::  >:1TY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HEOFIELO  BROa.,   INC.,  NI 


rressuuaru 

Pamphlet 

Binder 

Gaylord  Bros.,  Inc. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

PAI,  IAN.  21.  1908 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLIN0I9-URBANA 


3  0112  047796609 


